Impossible Choices
by Once.Evil.Regal
Summary: How far will Elliot go to protect his partner? He's chosen her life over the lives of others more than once, but what if it's not her life that's actually in danger? Will he still choose his partner over the victims? E/O friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**So far all of my fanfics have been about Olivia with someone else, with very little Elliot. This one is still going to be mainly Olivia-centric, but I'm going to try to include a lot more Elliot. This isn't E/O in a romantic sense, but it's all about Olivia and Elliot interacting AS PARTNERS AND BEST FRIENDS, so E/O shippers don't get too excited, lol. And for all you non-shippers (woot!) there's nothing more than friendship between Liv and El in this story (I'm trying to give you all the best of both worlds).**

"Olivia," Cragen called as soon as Olivia stepped into the squadroom. He motioned for her to follow him, then went back into his office.

"Well that can't be good," she said to Munch, draping her coat over her chair.

Olivia walked into Cragen's office and closed the door behind her. "What is it, captain?"

"You're gonna be working with Munch for a while," he said.

"Where's Elliot?"

"He's on an undercover assignment. A group of guys are kidnapping women and holding them prisoner for months. We know who's behind it but we have no evidence that can stand up in court. Elliot's gonna be out of contact for a while."

Relief washed over Olivia. She didn't mind working with Munch, but she had been worried that something was wrong with Elliot, or the he had transferred out. She couldn't imagine working at SVU without her partner, but knowing the he would be coming back would make it much easier. "Any idea how long he'll be under?"

Cragen shook his head. "No, but it'll probably be a while. This group is pretty tight-nit, and we need as much evidence as we can get. So you and Munch better learn to work together."

"No problem, captain," Olivia said. She left the office and walked over to Munch's desk. "Did you hear about Elliot?"

"Yeah, Cragen told me before you got here. We've got a case," Munch said, handing her the case file.

Olivia opened it up and read it quickly. They were investigating a suspected child abuse. An elementary teacher suspected the one of her first-graders was being abused, but there was very little evidence. Munch and Olivia knew they were looking at a long and emotional day. Olivia sighed.

**I know, REALLY short, but I'll be posting more soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I thought Kritzer was coming tonight?" Elliot asked.

Randy glanced behind him as they walked, a nervous habit Elliot had learned to ignore. "Nah, you don't get to meet Jack yet. Gotta be a seasoned member before you get to meet him."

Elliot knew he'd have to be undercover for a while to get these guys, but he didn't like the sound of 'seasoned member'. "What do you guys consider 'seasoned'?"

"Whenever we decide you ain't a rat," he said, glancing behind him again.

"How are you supposed to do that if you won't let me in on anything?"

"Shut your yap, do as you're told and stop askin' dumb questions. Jack calls the shots, so quit bitchin' to me. Seriously, Dave, you ain't here to be the brains, that's Jack's job, you're here to do what Jack says. You're lucky you even got in; most guys can't take the initiation." He smirked.

The initiation had been unexpected and Cragen had almost pulled the plug when he found out. Elliot had been forced to lie down and not make a sound while everyone kicked him repeatedly. Then they made him stand in a cold storage room for 36 hours with no food and minimal water. He had been giving one hour to rest, then he was forced to run through an obstacle course and punched – hard – every time he screwed up, and then forced to restart until he got it perfect. At the end of the gruelling course he had been beaten again, resulting in two broken ribs, a black eye and some nasty bruises. But he had made it through, and the gang accepted him. He still had to prove himself to Jack Kritzer, whom he had never seen or spoken to, but it was worth the time and effort if he could put the psychos behind bars.

"Randy, Dave, what took you so long? James's is fuckin' wasted already." Adrian was standing outside of their usual bar smoking, his left hand shoved deep in his pocket and his collar turned up against the cold. It was cold enough that they could all see their breath and the wind only added to the chill, but Elliot was used to the icy New York air. Adrian was from Miami originally and he hated the cold weather.

"Dave's bitchin' about Jack again," Randy said, snatching the cigarette from Adrian and taking a long drag before handing it back.

Elliot's undercover identity was David Burk. He was supposedly a successful businessman but he had lost his job for engaging in criminal activity. The gang had accepted his history without any further questions. He had a more detailed story worked out if he needed it, but he kept it to himself. The less he had to lie, the easier it was to keep his cover. "You gotta quit that, man, it's only gonna set you back with the boss if he gets word o' you complainin'," Adrian said, giving Randy a dirty look.

Elliot shrugged casually. "Guess I'm just used to being the brains behind the operation. It's hard to switch that off."

"Well figure it out, the sooner you switch it off the sooner we can trust you to do what you're told and the sooner we can give you your real initiation." Adrian winked at Elliot. He smirked and Randy chuckled, clapping Elliot on the back.

"What is this real initiation, anyway?" Elliot asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Randy said. Adrian chuckled, taking one last drag of his cigarette before crushing it on the sidewalk. All three men walked into the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Sorry about the really short chapters. I'll be updating pretty regularly, though.**

"I'm starting to think there's no such thing as a nice, wholesome family anymore," Olivia said, rubbing her throbbing temples.

"It's Munch; he makes everyone cynical," Fin said.

"She should be cynical, look at all this crap. These fathers think the sole purpose of reproducing is to have a human sex toy or punching bag," Munch said, shaking his head as he tossed a heavy file onto his desk and sat down.

"I need a coffee. You want anything?" She asked, stretching as she stood up and then grabbing her coat off the back of her chair.

"Did you get Kelsi to talk?" Casey had just entered the squadroom. She was frustrated by their lack of evidence in the case and she was hoping Olivia had at least gotten the little girl to open up about being molested.

"No, she's too scared to say anything. She freaked out during the interview, we're not gonna be able to talk to her again," Olivia said sadly.

Casey sighed and said, "You going for a coffee?"

"Yeah. You wanna come?"

"Sure. I could use a break from all this shit."

"You and me both."

"At least you volunteered, my boss shoved me into this."

"You could get out if you really wanted to, Casey. You stick around for a reason, just like the rest of us."

"At least you know why you're here, I have no idea."

"There are plenty of days when I don't even know why I stay. But eventually I always figure it out again, and I guess that's why I don't walk away. I might reconsider if I have to work with Munch for any great length of time, though." Olivia smiled. She didn't mind working with Munch, but they had such different styles and they were completely out of sync.

"Where is Elliot, anyway?" Casey asked.

"Undercover. Some gang kidnapping and holding women prisoner for months. He'll probably be under for a while."

"Is Cragen gonna get you a new partner or are you stuck with Munch?"

Olivia shrugged. "He'll probably leave me with Munch. Fin's got Lake now, there's no point trying to find me a new partner. Besides, a new partners always a toss up. He could be better than Munch or I could want to shoot him."

"I guess you really have to like your partner, huh?"

"When you're trusting someone with your life on a regular basis, it helps if you don't think they're a jackass." They both laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Fuck!" Randy cursed, hopping on one foot, his other foot throbbing after stubbing it on the doorframe.

Adrian and 'David' roared with laughter. Randy fell into the big armchair and rubbed his tender root, glaring angrily at the two men laughing at him. "Fuck you guys, this hurts like a bitch!"

"You're such a baby. Dave, you know how long it took this guy to meet Jack? Take a guess."

Elliot shrugged. No one had given him any kind of timeframe, so he had no idea what a normal length of time was. "Dunno," he said.

"2 years. Followed us around like a pup with his tongue hangin' out." He laughed again.

"Shut up!" Randy shouted. Elliot and Adrian both laughed again.

"Alright, children, settle down," Jeremy came into the hotel suite dressed in his usual business suit. He was a bit smaller than Elliot but Elliot doubted he could win in a fight against Jeremy. He was small, but everything on him was solid muscle. Not only that, but he was much smarter than Elliot. And unlike many men like him, he didn't need to win at all costs. He knew when to fight and when to walk away and no matter what the outcome, Elliot had no doubt that he always won when it counted. Elliot wasn't scared of him, but it was as close as he'd ever come to fearing someone.

The scariest part about Jeremy wasn't the actual person, but the fact that he was only second in command. He was Jack's right-hand man. Elliot couldn't imagine what kind of man Jack would have to be to control someone like Jeremy, and he suspected if he came this close to fearing Jeremy, he would truly be afraid of Jack Kritzer. "What's goin' on, Jer?" Adrian asked.

"Jack wants to see our little fledgling in action. Come on, we're going out." He smiled and Elliot felt a hint of dread building in his stomach. He had no idea what Jeremy had in mind, but judging by the smiles on Adrian and Randy's faces, he doubted he would like it.

Elliot followed Jeremy out of the hotel suite and into the back of his limousine. They sat facing each other. Jeremy stared at Elliot curiously the whole drive, but Elliot remained cool. When they got out they were at a nightclub. The limousine drove off and the bouncer didn't think twice about letting Jeremy and Elliot through the doors. "So what is this test?" Elliot asked Jeremy, shouting over the music.

"The boys told me you have a real problem with asking questions. Normally we don't take too kindly to men who question us, but you're different, Dave. You seem like a man who knows what he's doing, who knows when to think for himself and when to submit. Of course, that's just a suspicion. I've never really seen you in a situation that forced you to submit, other than your initiation, perhaps, but that's not about submitting. So I want to know for sure that you're going to do what I tell you when I need it to be done. So don't over think tonight, I don't want to know if you can figure out the answer, I want to know what you're going to do in a real situation. So just do what comes naturally, alright?"

Elliot couldn't stop his mind from racing, trying to figure out what Jeremy could possibly be looking for. Did he want Elliot to follow his orders no matter what? She he question Jeremy? Should he refuse to do what he was told? What exactly was Jeremy hoping for? Did any of the other guys have to do this? From what Jeremy had told him it didn't sound like the other men had done this, but he couldn't be sure.

"What's your type, David?" Jeremy asked.

"Type?"

"Blonde, brunette, redhead, skinny, curvy, what do you like?" He clarified.

"Brunette, subtle curves," Elliot said. He actually didn't care, but if he had a type he thought that's what it would be.

"Just enough to hold onto, huh?" Jeremy said with a smile and a wink. Elliot returned his smile. Jeremy nodded his head to indicate something behind Elliot and he turned around. Jeremy pointed out a woman on the dance floor, no more than early twenties. She was just what Elliot had described. "Not bad, huh?"

"She's alright," Elliot said with a shrug. He really didn't want to be at a nightclub hitting on women. He tried to suppress his instinct to twirl the wedding band that he had taken off his finger for the purpose of his assignment.

"High standards? Alright, what about her?" He pointed out another woman.

"What's the point of this?" Elliot asked.

"I want you to pick someone."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does." It felt good to be standing up to Jeremy, but he wasn't sure it was what he should be doing. He hoped if he failed this 'test' he wouldn't have to scrap his whole operation.

Jeremy smirked. "I want to see how you interact with women."

"Are these the kind of women you guys normally deal with?"

"No, but that doesn't matter," Jeremy said.

"Sure it does. Those girls'll throw themselves at just about anyone. They're asking for it. Where's the fun in that?"

Jeremy smirked. "You're right. Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Olivia, go home, you look like hell," Cragen said. It was late and Olivia was still at her desk. She wanted to finish her paperwork so she could let go of this case once and for all.

"I'm almost finished, I promise," she assured him. He nodded and headed out.

Half an hour later Olivia closed the file. It was really late; the squadroom was completely deserted. She flicked off the lights, pulled on her coat and left the precinct. She hated walking home alone at such a late hour, but she had a gun strapped to her hip and a small can of pepper spray hidden in her left hand just in case, so she felt safe. Not to mention she had over a decade of police training to help her if either of those somehow failed.

Olivia was halfway to her apartment when she noticed the van for the first time. It was the second time she had seen the dark van drive past her and it gave her chills. She continued walking, increasing her pace a little, her hand tightening on the pepper spray. When the van came up behind her for a third time it slowed to a stop and Olivia heard someone get out. She listened closely to the footsteps, walking slightly faster than her own. She quickly crossed the street and heard the footsteps follow her. She thought for a minute that she should turn around to face the man, but before she could he was suddenly behind her. "Play along," a voice said in her ear. She elbowed the man in the gut out of instinct, then quickly regretted it when she turned around.

Elliot was doubled over slightly in pain. This must be part of his undercover operation. "Damn, you're strong," he said, smiling up at her.

"Why the hell were you following me?" She said, enjoying the little charade.

Elliot straightened up and shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "He can't hear us, just make it look good. I need to impress him, make him think I got you to mellow out. I can stand to let you go but it needs to look believable."

Olivia let her body relax, keeping an expression of suspicion, hoping whoever was watching them was falling for it. "So how's it going, anyway? Is that a black eye?"

"Yeah; they initiated me. It was brutal, but it got me in. Jeremy's in the van, he's the right-hand man to the boss. Gotta impress him."

Olivia didn't dare glance at the van. "What are you gonna tell him when you go back there without me?"

Elliot shrugged again. "Tell him I didn't wanna chance grabbing a cop, too much heat, but you totally wanted it."

"You'll tell him I was just begging for it," Olivia teased, stepping closer to him with a flirty smile.

Elliot smirked as she closed the gap between them slowly. She rested one hand on his chest and the other on his arm. "Big tough guy. You work out?" Elliot just rolled his eyes. Olivia tried not to burst out laughing. Maybe at one point in her life she had been attracted to Elliot, but it had passed long ago and she doubted it would ever return.

"Well sweet cheeks, I gotta split." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for that later," she whispered in his ear. He smiled and headed back to the van. She watched him for a minute, then continued home.

"What the hell was that? She was all over you, why didn't you reel her in?" Jeremy said when Elliot got back into the van.

"She's a cop just getting off duty, still has her gun. Too much risk for just a test. But you're right, she wanted me." He smiled.

"I'm impressed with you David. You're a follower that thinks for yourself, I like it. Keep it up and Jack might grace you with his presence sooner than ever." He shifted the van into gear and sped off towards the hotel.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"How'd it go?" Randy asked when Elliot returned. Jeremy had dropped him off and driven home – wherever that was. It was extremely late, but Randy often slept at very odd hours.

"Great. Seduced a cop," he said, as if was nothing exciting.

"D'you bang her?" Elliot was often amazed at how much Randy reminded him of a panting dog, living only for his next bone.

"Nah, she had her gun so we let her go. Pretty damn fine, though, it's a real shame." He hated talking about Olivia as if she was just a piece of meat, but he couldn't let a stupid little thing like that ruin his whole operation.

Randy looked disappointed. "So what'd Jer say? How long before you get to meet Jack?"

Elliot shrugged. He felt like he'd been doing that a lot lately. "Dunno, he didn't say. Soon I hope. Can't wait to really get in there with you guys."

Randy chuckled. "Yeah, it's fuckin' sweet. Sucks when they get one that ain't your type."

"What's your type?"

"Redhead, real skinny. They're tough to find though, so I usually go after blondes instead. I'm not big on the brunettes and I don't want a woman with lotsa curves, but I get in there anyway."

"Oh yeah? What kinda stuff goes on?"

"Nice try. You're still a fledgling, gotta be initiated by Jack before you get the juicy details." Adrian had obviously been listening to their conversation, even though he appeared to be sleeping. He didn't even open his eyes when he spoke.

"I wish he'd just get it over with, I wanna get in on it."

"Keep your pants on, it'll happen soon enough. Jeremy usually doesn't take fledglings out for months, looks like he's takin' a shinin' to you. That's a good sign, means Jack's keepin' an eye on ya," Adrian said, opening his eyes this time.

"What's your type?" Randy asked.

"Brunette, subtle curves. Gotta have something to hold onto," Elliot said, repeating what Jeremy had said with a smile.

"Fuck you," Randy said.

"The hell was the that for?" Elliot asked, his voice bordering on laughter rather than anger.

"New pledges don't get a choice of woman but Jack always makes sure they get their type. When Jer asks you what you like, it's a good sign, means Jack's on the lookout for ya, if ya catch my drift." Adrian winked. "I like brunettes, too."

"Fuck you both," Randy said. Adrian and Elliot laughed.

SVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVU

"Headache?" Casey asked, offering Olivia a bottle of aspirin.

"It's in the job description." She smiled and took the bottle, unscrewing the top and popping two aspirin into her hand. She swallowed them both dry.

"Any luck getting a confession?"

"Of course not, that would be way too easy."

"A girl can dream," Casey said with a sigh.

"It's so frustrating working with Munch. Don't get me wrong, Munch is great, but we're totally out of sync and it's just getting worse. I need someone I can read so we can play off each other, but Munch is like a closed book to me. I guess that's what happens when you're with the same partner for a decade; you can't just switch over to someone else."

"The case isn't gonna stand up in court unless we get more on him. We need more evidence."

"We're not gonna get anything tonight. Liv, go home, you might as well get a good sleep for once," Cragen said, having heard Casey's last comment.

"No argument here. See you both tomorrow." Olivia slipped her coat on, tidied up the papers on her desk, grabbed her keys and headed out of the precinct.

"Hey, can you help me?"

Olivia turned around to look at the man that was talking to her. "Maybe, what do you need?"

"I'm new to the area, can you tell where I can get a decent cup of coffee at this hour?"

It was after dark and the street was pretty much deserted except for the slow but constant flow of cars, but Olivia wasn't worried. "This is New York, you can head in any direction and find just about anything you want, but I recommend you turn around and take your next left, first coffee shop you come to, it's great. Have a good night."

He thanked her and she turned around and continued towards her apartment. The last thing she remembered after that was turning onto her street before the world went dark.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Damn, I dunno what you did, but that was Jer, he said Jack wants us 'all' at the clubhouse!" Adrian had just come back from talking on his cell phone. Randy looked at Adrian and then Elliot with excitement.

"He wants me there, too?" Elliot asked.

"Yeah, Jer said everyone's invited. I think Jack's gonna be there! Come on, get off your ass and let's go!" He was ready to burst from excitement.

"Ah, this sucks; if Dave's goin' that means it's his choice. I don't want some fat brunette," Randy said miserably.

"Quit complainin', you get next ups, remember?" This cheered Randy up and the three of them grabbed their coats and left the hotel together.

"That was quick, usually takes Jack a lot longer to get a girl for a fledgling. Course it usually takes him months to let a fledging in on the fun, so I guess it fits," Adrian said, climbing into the driver's seat. Elliot sat next to him in the front seat and Randy climbed into the back.

They drove in silence. Elliot took careful note of street names so he could tell Cragen exactly where they were going. As far as he could tell they were heading to Queens. That really disturbed Elliot. They were getting closer to his family and suddenly he felt panicked. What if they had realized who he really was and this was just Jack's way of messing with him? They were nearing Elliot's house and he could swear the van slowed and his heart stopped, but suddenly they were past his house and continuing down the road and around several turns. He let himself relax, but he was still a little on edge when they rolled into the driveway. The house was nothing special; just a normal house in Queens, but Elliot knew what was waiting beyond its doors was not normal.

Elliot followed Adrian up the front steps. He knocked three times quickly, waited a second, then knocked two more times. A little cheesy, Elliot though, but he didn't comment. Jeremy opened the door and let the three men into the house. Inside was pretty much empty except for a plain black couch in the living room. Sitting on the couch was a small man, a little older than Elliot, with very unassuming features. Elliot thought if he ever saw this guy commit a crime he would never be able to remember his face. But he knew for a fact that he could win a fist fight against this man. This most of all almost made him laugh. He knew right away it was Jack, just by the way he was sitting and the sheer power that seemed to swell from him, but he was definitely not afraid. At least, he didn't think so.

"David Burk, it's nice to finally meet you. I am Jack Kritzer, but I'm sure you've already guessed that." Elliot just nodded and let Jack continue. "I'm sure you've gathered by now that I've decided you could be a valuable asset to this organization. I have never before allowed a fledgling to be initiated so soon, but I decided to make an exception for you. I trust you haven't a clue what this initiation entails, is that correct?"

"No one's told me anything," Elliot said honestly. He wanted to show that he wasn't afraid of Jack and he thought he was doing well.

"Very well. I trust you do know, however, what goes on in this 'clubhouse', as my men call it." Elliot nodded. "Get used to this house. You will be spending the next two weeks here – and only here. This is the first and last warning I will give you, so listen carefully; It is possible to fail this initiation through no fault of your own, and if that occurs, you may be given a second chance if we deem you worthy. But if you at any time refuse to do what is expected of you, or you attempt any sort of escape of betrayal, you will be killed. Do you understand?"

Now Elliot was scared. Trapped for 2 weeks? He hadn't planned on that, and he had no way of letting Cragen know now. He knew already that he was going to have to do something illegal, and he couldn't see any way around it. He had no choice but to accept and hope for the best. "I understand. I'm in."

Jack smiled. "Good. Follow me." He stood up and he and Jack led the way through the kitchen to the stairs that led to the basement. It was a dingy, unfinished basement that was very open and felt more like a warehouse than a basement. In the farthest corner of the basement was a mattress and when Elliot saw it, and what was on it, he felt very sick.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Olivia woke up to the sound of footsteps on stairs. She opened her eyes and then quickly closed them, deciding it would be better to feign sleep than let them know she was away, whoever 'them' was. Her wrists were tied together with her legs were tied to some sort of metal hook on either side of the bed. It didn't take a genius to figure out the reason for that. For once she wished she didn't have all of her experience as a police officer because she not only knew what was coming, but she also knew what it would do to her. It would not only rip out her soul but it would end her career. She would never be able to talk to another victim again. She had faced flashbacks after her close call at Sealview and that had been difficult enough to get through, she doubted she would ever recover from the real thing. Those thought made her want to burst into tears, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction, not matter what they did to her.

"I picked her up especially for you. We usually go a little younger, but I figured since she's smokin' hot you'd forgive me. Must work out a lot; probably goes with being a cop. Alright, here's how it works: two weeks, she's yours, break her in. Get comfy, 'cause when we come back you get to put on a show. I don't give a shit if you're shy, those are the rules. There are a few other things that go along with the initiation, but that's all you need to know for now. So go have fun." Olivia heard several people head back up the stairs, but she knew there was still someone standing in the basement with her.

She heard the footsteps upstairs, then she heard the front door close and there was silence until a car started and she heard it pull out of the driveway. "Liv, are you okay?"

Olivia's eyes snapped opened and she looked up at Elliot. He looked scared and horrified. Olivia's fear vanished and was replaced by extreme self consciousness. She had been stripped down to her bra and underwear and her legs were spread wide open and tied too tightly for her to move them. She wanted desperately to cover herself. She couldn't help being glad she had waxed the night before and cursed the though. "I don't suppose you can untie me?"

"I don't know if I'm supposed to," Elliot said, but her hurried to untie her right foot. It took him several minute, but when he was finished she sat up and curled her leg into a half cross-legged position. When he had untied the other she sat cross-legged while he untied her hands. "I guess they figured there was no point keeping my clothes handy."

"Probably not," Elliot said, concentrating on the knots, trying very hard not to look at Olivia. He thought she was gorgeous, of course, but he hated thinking of her that way. There had been a time when he thought he loved her, when he wanted to be with her, but he had been in a difficult situation at that time. Over the years he had grown to realize that their friendship was so deep, so beyond anything he had ever experienced before that trying to change their relationship could only ruin it. He loved Olivia, he knew that, but in a way that transcended any kind of physical relationship. She was his friend in a sense Elliot never even knew existed. Seeing her like that, and knowing what they expected him to do to her…he wanted to throw up. Or, better yet, shoot all of them.

"Are we alone in the house?" Olivia asked as she watched him work.

"Inside yeah, but Jack told Adrian to keep watch outside. I thought he meant keep an eye out for anyone who might come in, but I'm pretty sure he's there to make sure I don't bolt. Jack's smart, Liv, and powerful. We're not getting out of her alive unless we use our heads."

"He wants you to put on a show," she said in a quiet voice.

Elliot's jaw tightened and he paused for a second, then nodded and continued to work on the knot. "We'll figure something out."

"What will they do if you refuse?"

"Kill us both," Elliot said. He knew it was completely true. "Maybe let you live long enough to have their fun."

"How long do you figure we have until they come back?"

"I'm gonna go check the fridge to see if there's any food, maybe check out what kind of security measures Jack put up. Maybe I can get some answers from Adrian. I'm gonna need to tie you back up, though, they're gonna be too suspicious if they see you just sitting down here completely free from the ropes."

"I know, you don't have to explain. Elliot…don't think about me. I can handle whatever they do. There are so many women who have been tortured by them, and so many more that could come. You have to stop them."

"I'm always gonna worry about you, Liv."

"I know. I just don't want you to feel guilty about anything you have to do here."

Elliot met her eyes for the first time and nodded. He pulled the last knot loose and slipped the ropes off Olivia's hands. Her wrists were sore, but she didn't bother thinking about it. She was still wishing she had some clothes to put on. "I'll tie it around your ankle; that should be enough."

Olivia stretched out her leg on the mattress and Elliot tied one of the discarded ropes around her ankle and attached the other end to one of the metal loops on the floor. The rope was sharp and painful on her skin but she didn't complain. There was no use, anyway. They were both trapped.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Finished already? I expected more from you," Adrian said when Elliot opened the front door and stepped onto the porch.

"I retied her. She pretty out of it, no point doing anything now, it's no fun," Elliot said. Olivia had told him her head was throbbing, which meant she had been knocked out. It would be easy for Adrian to believe that she was still out of it.

"Yeah, I hate the ones that give up after the first few times, takes the fun outta ev'rything."

Elliot had already checked around the house. There was plenty to eat and drink in the fridge. There were two men around back and Elliot knew he wouldn't stand a chance against either one individually, and together he would be ground beef. There would be no use escaping that way. He was pretty sure he could take Adrian if he wanted to, but not fast enough. He would have time to yell for the boys around back and they would kill him and then Olivia. On top of all that, there was no phone in the house and Elliot had been forced to leave his cell phone behind at the hotel. He would have to use his head if he was going to get them both out alive.

He and Adrian talked for a while, but he wouldn't tell Elliot anything useful. The initiation was a taboo subject and Adrian shut down whenever Elliot tried to approach it. Eventually he gave up and went back downstairs. Olivia was lying on her back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. "Find out anything useful?" She asked him.

"Yeah, we're both dead if we try to run. We'll have to figure something else out."

"After this two week period, what happens?" Olivia asked, not looking at him.

"They consider me part of the gang, I guess."

"And you'd be free to come and go as you please."

Elliot shook his head. "Liv, I know where you're goin' with this and I'm not doing it. I can't do that to you."

"Elliot, eventually the time is gonna come when we have to choose between giving up and letting them kill us, or doing what they say. We both know we're not going to give up and let them kill us, and we're not going to overpower them."

"We'll figure something out," Elliot said stubbornly.

"Eventually they'll do what you won't," Olivia said, her voice very soft but there was an urgency behind it.

"I'll get you out of here." Both of them had tears stinging the backs of their eyes, but neither of them would let themselves cry in front of the other.

"We have to make it look convincing. When they come back they have to think you…" she didn't want to finish her sentence and she was thankful she didn't have to.

"I'll take care of it," he assured her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Elliot slept upstairs on the couch. He couldn't find a blanket or any clothes in the house, not even for himself, so he gave Olivia his jacket to cover up with before going upstairs. He wanted to sleep on the floor next to her but she convinced him it wasn't realistic. If she were a prisoner she would probably try to kill Elliot if he was anywhere near her and even if she slept too far away she would never let him actually sleep. It made sense, so Elliot slept on the couch, though he got very little sleep and kept an ear out for the tiniest sound of movement.

Olivia didn't sleep, either. It was freezing in the basement, especially with nothing more to keep her warm than Elliot's jacket. She curled up so the jacket covered most of her body, but she could only drift in and out of restless sleep. The possibility of what could happen to her if she didn't escape soon terrified her. She couldn't become a victim; she just couldn't.

When morning came Elliot and Olivia were both exhausted and sick with worry. As Elliot was lying on the couch, trying desperately to figure a way out of the situation, he heard a car pull up in the driveway. He sat up to see Jack, Jeremy and Randy piling out of the vehicle. His blood ran cold and his chest felt like there was a vice around it, but he knew he had to stay cool if he was going to save Olivia.

"Hey, Dave! What're ya doin' up here? All the fun's downstairs!" Randy said, sitting on the arm of the couch.

Elliot sat up, stretching. "I was sleeping. Bitch wouldn't quit screaming at me so I came up here."

"So, how was your first night in the clubhouse?" Adrian asked, having just joined them.

Elliot smiled. "Perfect. Got ourselves a real fighter down there, surprised she didn't give me a black eye."

"You untie her?" Randy asked.

"Tied her up by the ankle. Gave me a nasty bruise, elbowed me in the ribs, but it's the thrill of the chase. Had her begging by the end of the night. Tied her hands up so she wouldn't try anything dumb." They had worked out the whole story the night before. Olivia had elbowed him hard enough in the ribs to give him a bad bruise (something she still felt guilty about) and they decided they had to tie up her hands and lock the door to be sure she didn't 'escape'. They both had a part to play and unfortunately they would both have to make sacrifices. Elliot could only hope it was enough to keep Olivia safe.

"Today is easy. We have clothes for you and all we want is to hear some satisfying screaming," Jeremy said. He set a pile of clothes on the arm of the couch and Elliot stood up. They all smiled and urged him to go downstairs.

Elliot opened the door to the basement and closed it behind him. He walked very lightly on the stairs so Olivia wouldn't hear him. They had already tested the acoustics in the house. They knew that if they spoke in slightly hushed voices, no one upstairs would be able to hear them. "Liv?" He said, stepping off the bottom step.

"What's going…"

"Start screaming," Elliot interrupted her. She paused for a split second to look confused. Then started screaming at Elliot.

"Get off! NOOO!" She screamed as loud as she could. Elliot felt strange; it was the first time he'd ever heard Olivia scream. He was glad it was completely fake.

Elliot walked over to stand infront of Olivia. He didn't think they would follow him downstairs, but he had to be ready to make it look real if they decided to join in the fun. They didn't, though. "Bitch, shut up!" Elliot roared and clamped his hand – very lightly – over Olivia's mouth. She stopped screaming and they both listened. They could hear footsteps upstairs and then the door opening. Soon they heard the limo pull out of the driveway.

Olivia leaned her head back and pushed Elliot's hand away from her mouth. He glanced at her apologetically. She started fidgeting in her ropes, then struggling harder. "If you want me to undo them just ask!" Elliot said, reaching for the ropes, but she pulled her hands away.

"They're going to expect to see marks on me, Elliot. You told them I was a fighter; I should have something to show for it," she explained, continuing to struggle with the ropes, causing her skin to become raw and painful.

"That's gonna make being tied up really painful," Elliot said.

"I'd rather be in pain than dead," Olivia snapped. She hadn't meant to say it so harshly, she wasn't at all angry at Elliot, she was just frustrated and scared. "They're going to expect to see bruises."

"I already told you, I'm not hitting you," Elliot said firmly, shaking his head.

"Do it, Elliot. I mean it, they're going to be suspicious when they don't see a mark on me. I bruised your ribs and you just let me get away with it? Come on, they're not gonna buy that."

"I can't hit a woman, especially not you."

"This isn't about fucking chivalry, Elliot! I don't give a damn about your 'can't hit a woman' crap, I want to stay alive and stay sane. I've come within inches of being raped already and that was hard enough to get over, I'm not doing that again. So cut the chivalry shit and…" Elliot backhanded her so hard across the face then she fell back onto the mattress, her eyes filling with tears of pain.

"I'm sorry," he said, helping her up, his eyes full of even more pain than hers.

Olivia just nodded, rubbing her jaw where he had hit her. It was already tender and she could tell it was going to leave a nasty mark. She grabbed the rope that was tied to her anklet and started rubbing it against her ankle to make the skin there raw, too. They might be going overboard, but she wasn't going to leave any holes in their story. Their story was the only thing keeping them alive, and she wasn't taking any chances with it.

"Is there anyone left upstairs?" Olivia asked.

"Someone probably stayed behind to keep guard. I'll go check it out." He stood up and headed upstairs.

There was no one left in the house. There were the usual two guards out back, though they were now two different men. They were still huge, so Elliot didn't care. Outside where Adrian had been was another, smaller man that Elliot had never met before, keeping watch. Elliot grabbed the stack of clothes and took them downstairs. "They won't fit you but it's better than nothing."

Olivia had never been so happy to see a pile of clothing in her life. She slipped on a pair of Elliot's jeans that were too big for her everywhere except the hips, where they were almost too tight; she cursed her curves for the first time in her life. She had to wait for Elliot to undo the ropes around her wrists again before slipping on an oversized t-shirt. "I'm starving," she said.

"I'll go get us something to eat," he said. He went upstairs and made them both bacon and eggs. While he cooked he stared out the window, cursing the two men in the backyard, and cursing himself for ever considering this assignment.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next day Adrian returned to the clubhouse with clothes for Olivia. Nothing but bras, underwear and skimpy lingerie, but Olivia might appreciate fresh undergarments at least. He thanked Adrian and he left without another word. Elliot nodded to the man keeping guard, then took the clothes downstairs. Olivia raised her eyebrow questioningly but Elliot just shrugged and set the clothes down next to her. "I guess they figured you'd like some fresh clothes, too."

Days passed and the men didn't return. It was putting both Elliot and Olivia on edge. "What are we going to tell them if they see me in these?" Olivia asked. She had a very dark bruise on her jaw from where Elliot had hut her and he hated looking at it.

"I'm a charmer; I like to play the white knight," he said.

"Will they buy that?"

"Everyone has their fantasies."

"What's yours?"

Elliot was stunned by the question. He looked at Olivia, completely dumbfounded and she laughed. "Should we really be talking about that?"

"Does it really matter at this point? I'm curious."

"I dunno. My fantasies don't have elaborate plotlines. Do yours?"

"No. I never got the whole role-playing thing. I'll do it if the guy wants, but it doesn't make any difference to me. I sort of associate fantasies with…"

"Yeah," Elliot said, understanding what she meant.

They heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and they both looked up out of habit. Elliot raced up the stairs and was in the living room before they opened the door. Adrian, Jeremy and Randy followed jack into the house. "Are you enjoying your stay?" Jack asked.

"Of course," Elliot said.

"She still fighting?" Adrian asked.

"I think she's starting to realize it's pointless, but she's still putting up a good fight when it comes down to it. Fine with me," he added with a smile. It sickened him to act that way, but it was necessary.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. She was a good choice, then?" Jack asked.

"Definitely my type," Elliot said. He could almost laugh; if only they could know how perfect she really was for him.

"Do you beat your women, David?" It was as if her were talking about the weather. Elliot hated his tone.

"A good hard slap across the face is always effective, but no more than that. I prefer to use my brains and charm than my fists." It fit their story.

"Well we like to make sure our ladies are good an' broken." Adrian revealed his hands, which he had been keeping behind his back since he came into the house. He was holding a short, sharp knife in one hand and a stack of small cloths in the other. "No room for gentlemen in the clubhouse, Dave."

Elliot stared at the knife with dread, but he didn't let it show. He took both the knife and the stack of cloths. "We don't want her to bleed to death," Jack said, nodding to the cloths.

"Use them however you like, we don't really care. We want proof you're not gonna wimp out on us when we need you," Jeremy said.

"See what you can do to that pretty face of hers," Randy said, smiling.

Elliot nodded and headed downstairs. Olivia screamed and put on a great performance, something they had agreed she should do whenever 'the guys' came by. This time the terror was almost real; she saw the knife and her own sadness and fear mirrored in Elliot's eyes. He walked over and set down the supplies, putting his hand gently over her mouth. She stopped screaming. They had tested every aspect of their performance; Olivia had put her own hand tightly over her mouth and continued to shout while Elliot went upstairs and closed the basement door. He couldn't hear anything, so they had decided it would be safe to let the others assume he had silence Olivia with his own hand. He could hear her if she screamed at the top of her lungs, though, which is what she would have to do when she was cut.

Olivia took the knife out of Elliot's trembling hand. She pressed his hand firmer against her mouth and he got the picture; she was going to scream and she needed him to muffle the sound accurately. She took the knife and held out her arm. She pressed the blade slowly into her skin and quickly sliced the back of her arm. She screamed in true pain, exaggerating it just a little. Elliot wished he knew how much of it was real and how much of it was for show. He pressed a cloth on the bleeding wound with his free hand and tried to hold back the tears that were stinging the back of his eyes. He closed his eyes when she made the second cut on her other arm. Her hot breath filled his hand as she screamed again and he cringed.

"How many do we need?" Elliot asked, uncovering her mouth a little.

"They're going to expect to see scars when they finally come down here. Tell them…tell them you don't like nasty marks on your women but…you decided to give them a treat." She held the blade up to her jaw line and Elliot grabbed her hand.

"No, don't. I'll figure something out, I'll explain in to them," he begged her.

"It'll heal," she said, pressing Elliot's hand back over her mouth. He tried to cover the spot she planned to cut with his fingers, but she shook her head and moved the blade higher to draw a line on her cheek. She screamed and when she stopped Elliot took his hand away, handing her a cloth. Olivia put the cloth aside for a second and pulled Eliot's hand up to her face. They both shuddered as he touched the wound, letting her blood run over his skin. It was all part of the act, they both knew.

Elliot took the bloody cloths away and gave Olivia fresh ones. Then he took the bloody knife and cloths upstairs. He paused for a minute to compose himself, put on a carefully measured grin, then headed into the living room. "Well done, I suppose, but we expected a little more."

"I hate marking up that smokin' body. Left a nice reminder on that pretty face of hers, though." He handed the knife and bloody rags to Adrian, who was wearing gloves. He had a spare rag with him that he used to wipe the blood off his hand, and then handed that to Adrian.

"I admit I had doubts about you, David, but I'm impressed. Our customs are strange, but I hope you understand they are necessary. We left more clothes for you on the couch and there's food in the fridge. The medicine cabinet in the bathroom is also fully stocked if you need anything while we're gone. Enjoy," Jack smiled and they all followed him out of the house. When they had pulled out of the driveway Elliot raced back downstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Liv, I'm so sorry, are you okay? Are they deep?" He slid on his knees and grabbed hold of Olivia's arm, examining the bleeding wound beneath the cloth.

"These guys are sick," she said. There was a trail of blood still flowing from the cut on her cheek but she was too preoccupied with the other cuts that she didn't care.

"They're so…organized, so formal about it all. I've never heard of anything like this. I guess the only way they can keep their clubhouse running is to make sure new members aren't gonna rat them out," Elliot said.

"They're apparently not very good judges or character," she said.

"Maybe I'm just an amazing actor," he said, smiling despite the worry and dread that plagued him.

"Untie me, I want to go wash up," she said. There was a small, dingy bathroom downstairs. Olivia felt even dirtier whenever she stepped into it, but she couldn't risk going upstairs, and it was better than no bathroom at all. Elliot untied her and she washed the blood off her arms and face with the icy tap water. She sighed, seeing the gash on her cheek and the dark bruise on her jaw.

"Is it going to leave a scar?" Elliot asked, referring to the wound on her cheek.

Olivia shrugged. "Maybe, but I've got worse," she said.

"Where?" Elliot couldn't contain his curiosity. He had never seen a scar on Olivia.

"There's one on by back. I was really young and I just got back from swimming with my friends. My mom was completely wasted, screaming at me, calling me a bitch. I yelled at her, told her I hated her, and when I tried to run away she threw her beer bottle at me. Left three scars across my back, I nearly bled to death because I had to wait for her to pass out before I could call an ambulance."

"I had no idea it was that bad…" Elliot said. His heart ached for Olivia, for all the pain she had endured throughout her lifetime. He thought about how strong she had been to get through it and how she had become such an amazing women despite all the shit she had had to overcome. It made him love her even more, in the same strange way he never fully understood, or even knew existed before he met Olivia.

"Shit happens. I survived and now it's over," she said, wincing slightly as she put her right arm under the water. "You know, Elliot…this show we're putting on isn't going to satisfy them forever. Eventually they're going to ask for more…"

"I'll get us out of here before that happens," Elliot said. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't.

Olivia looked at him, a mixture of irritation, anger, sadness and fear in her eyes. "No, Elliot, you won't. If there was a way to get out alive we would have figured it out by now. We have no phone, no weapons, and no way of knowing what we're up against if, by some small miracle, we can actually get out of this house alive. If you don't do what they tell you, they'll kill us both. I've always trusted you to have my back, El, to save my life if the time came. I always knew you'd do what you had to. But this is different; I don't think I can trust you here and I need you to tell me I'm wrong. Because, Elliot, if they're going to do what I know they all want to do…" she couldn't finished her sentence. She looked away from Elliot and concentrated on cleaning the wound of her left arm.

"Liv, you can trust me, I'll get us out of here…"

"Fuck, Elliot! Don't you get it? Don't you get what they're going to do, what they want you to do? If you don't, they'll kill you and they'll take what they want from me anyway. At least if it's coming from you I can pretend it's my choice, pretend I'm actually consenting." She still couldn't look at him and tears filled her eyes.

"It would ruin everything…" Elliot said, his voice no more than a whisper. He didn't want this to ruin their friendship; he didn't think he could handle that.

"Elliot, you really don't get it. I care about you, more than I've ever cared about anyone, something so beyond any relationship I've ever had or ever will have it scares me. But I can't do it, Elliot. I would rather destroy our friendship than become a victim." This time she looked straight into his eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks, the salty liquid stinging her wound, but she took no notice of the pain. "Please, Elliot…I realize what this means, what I'm asking you to do, but…I'm begging you, do this for me. Protect me." She had to whisper because she didn't trust her voice not to shatter into sobs.

Elliot slowly nodded his head. There was a time when he would have given anything to be with Olivia, to break the unwritten rule between them, but it had been a long time since he had thought about Olivia that way. Despite her beauty, despite how much he loved her, he didn't want her that way. But this…this was different. This wasn't love, this wasn't any kind of attraction between them, this was to save her from an even worse fate. Still, even knowing that he felt sick. Could their friendship survive this? And more importantly, could _they_ survive this? Elliot silently vowed never to go undercover again. And, though he couldn't be sure, he was willing to bet Olivia made a similar decision.

That night neither of them slept. Olivia could only think about what was to come, and wondered if being forced to have sex with Elliot would be any different from being raped. If it was her best friend doing it only to spare her a more horrible fate, would she feel less violated? Less humiliated and ashamed? Less like a victim? And if so, would it actually work, would the other men take their turns anyway, rendering Elliot's efforts worthless? All of these thoughts swirled through her head and she began to sob, her whole body trembling. Would Elliot's face suddenly become the face of her most terrifying memory? She didn't think she could handle it.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

More days passed and each day brought more and more fear, tension and stress for both of them. The cuts on Olivia's arms and cheek were painful but she didn't pay much attention to them. Elliot continued to bring her meals and spent all of his time downstairs to avoid suspicion from the clubhouse guards, but they barely said more than a few words to each other. They were both irritable and knew they would only snap at each other if they tried to say any more. The last thing they needed was to be arguing with each other; they had no one else.

Elliot had been keeping track of the days and when he woke up on Monday morning his stomach flipped sickeningly. Exactly two weeks had passed; the final day of Elliot's initiation. There was no calendar downstairs but Elliot knew that Olivia was keeping track of the days, and she was probably feeling even more dread than he was. He made them both breakfast and took it downstairs for Olivia. She had taken off Elliot's clothes and used several t-shirts as a makeshift blanket. She knew it was the final day of Elliot's initiation and she didn't think it would be a good idea if the fellow 'club members' saw that he had given her actual clothing. She explained this briefly to Elliot and he nodded his agreement, handing over her breakfast in silence.

"I don't blame you, Elliot," Olivia said quietly while they ate.

"Yeah, I know." He didn't look at her when he spoke.

"You're going to blame yourself, though."

"Yeah, I probably am." He sighed heavily. "I never should have asked Cragen to go undercover."

"There's no way you could've known this would happen, El."

"What if it doesn't work? What if we…" He found it almost comical that he couldn't even bring himself to say the words. "What if after all that it doesn't make any difference?"

"Your initiation will be over, and you'll be able to leave, you can call Cragen," she said.

"I don't want to do this, Olivia," Elliot said.

"I don't, either, El. But I really don't want to be raped, either."

"Is it really any different? You're still being forced against your will."

"But maybe…maybe with you I can convince myself it's just the two of us." She had thought about their relationship many times over the years. At one point she had been extremely attracted to Elliot, even wished he weren't married more than once, but it had been a long time since she felt that way about him. Their friendship transcended that now and they both knew at; at least, she was pretty sure Elliot felt the same way. After all, he was a married man and he loved Kathy and his kids very much. She couldn't stop thinking about that. Even if this was an undercover operation, even if it was life or death, even if he had no choice, Elliot would still feel like he betrayed Kathy and that made Olivia feel extremely guilty.

"Did you ever have feelings for me?" Olivia was so shocked but his bluntness that she as speechless. Elliot looked up at here, the unwritten laws between them suddenly dismissed in the desperation of their situation.

"Yes," Olivia said, sensing that the time for pretending was over. It didn't matter now; they might as well know where the other stood, considering what they would soon be forced to do. "Did you ever have feelings for me?" She wondered how she would feel if his answer was no.

"Yes," he admitted.

"How long ago?"

"It's been a few years. I still care about you, though. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Neither do I. But maybe our friendship is strong enough to survive this. We both had feelings for one another at some point and it looks like we both decided it wasn't what we wanted."

"I hope you're right. I hope we can survive this." He meant it in more than one sense. She understood both meanings.

"You know…I'm gonna have to put on an act, like I always do. We're still have to play our parts. Can you handle seeing me like that?"

"No," he said, "but I can pretend."

The hours passed and the sun descended slowly. They were both on edge. When they heard the car pull into the driveway Elliot raced up the stairs, leaving Olivia in the basement. She felt nauseous and there were so many emotions swirling through her that she had no hope of ever separating them. She curled up on the mattress, having discarded Elliot's t-shirt's, and wrapped her arms around herself. She shivered, partly from the cold and partly from fear and dread and whatever other emotions she was feeling but didn't care to identify.

"Dave! Congrats, you made it through! Feeling pumped?" Adrian was giddy with excitement. He clapped Elliot on the back with enthusiasm. It wasn't going to be easy to play his part this time, but he managed a broad grin.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Adrian. Our fledging has one last little task to complete before he can gain exclusive membership," Jack reminded them all.

"You ready to join our club once and for all?" Adrian asked, grinning.

"Definitely," Elliot said. 'I'll never be ready for this,' he thought.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Officer Oliiii-viaaaa," Randy called down the stairs in a singsong voice. Olivia felt like her heart had stopped, and then she felt as if it would burst from her chest. She wanted to shout 'It's Detective Benson' but decided there was no point trying to hold on to her dignity while she was dressed in nothing but a bra and underwear.

She heard the men coming down the stairs, laughing, whispering excitedly. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, hot tears stinging the back of her eyes. 'No, don't give them that satisfaction,' she told herself, holding back her tears. Elliot was in the centre of the group and she focused her eyes on him, hoping he could keep it together to keep them alive. He grinned at the others, acting excited, but she could see the truth in his eyes. She hoped she could only see it because she knew it was there; the others didn't seem to notice.

"I see he's really done a number on that pretty face of yours," Jeremy said, walking over to Olivia and kneeling down right infront of her. He held out his hand to stroke her cheek but she slapped it away angrily. "Temper, temper," he said with a smirk.

"Hey, cut it out, it's not your turn!" Randy shouted. Jeremy looked into Olivia's eyes for a long minute, then walked back over to join the others.

"Let's see how that temper holds up against our fledgling here," Jack said.

Elliot walked slowly over to Olivia and kneeled down next to the mattress. He reached his hand out to stroke her cheek and she slapped it away, too, but he just winked at the men behind him and flashed them a smile before turning back to Olivia. "Don't make this worse for yourself, sweetheart. Wouldn't want any more nasty marks appearing on that gorgeous skin of yours." He ran one finger slowly across the line of her jaw and she clenched her teeth, staring at him with what she hoped was an expression of hatred and disgust.

"Use the knife again," Randy said, practically panting as he watched them.

"Shut up," Jeremy hissed.

Elliot ignored them. He leaned in and kissed Olivia's neck softly. She shoved him off and he backhanded her hard enough to knock her over. She felt tears sting her eyes again as pain ripped through her already badly bruised jaw. This time she let her sobs escape, hoping Elliot would recognize it as just part of the act. He would feel guilty, she knew, but they had to set that aside. "I thought we went over this. Just cooperate and this can be good for the both of us."

Olivia looked up at him looming over her, holding her jaw where he had hit her. Tears were running down her cheeks now and she let another sob escape. The other men were watching with mounting excitement and anticipation. Elliot pinned Olivia's arms above her head with one strong hand and leaned down, letting his lips lightly brush hers. She flinched away, but he just grinned. If Olivia didn't know Elliot better she would be terrified of him; he looked so sinister, so dangerous. He brushed his lips over hers again and then traced soft kisses along her bruised jaw line and down her neck. She struggled in his grasp but he held her hands firmly. She thought she could probably break free if she really wanted to but that wouldn't help her now. If she were really being held prisoner by Elliot she would probably be weak from malnourishment and general hopelessness.

"Kiss me," Elliot said, his eyes blazing with emotions Olivia's couldn't identify. She shook her head vigorously, sobs rising in her chest again, and Elliot looked at her. There was a silent understanding passed between them; Elliot couldn't be aroused by the violence – she could both feel and see it. She continued to struggled and Elliot leaned close to mock whisper in her ear, knowing everyone could hear it, "Kiss me or I'll put more than just a measly slice on your pretty face. Bite me and I'll slit your throat."

He pressed his lips against hers and ran his tongue against her lips. She held back for a moment, then opened her mouth and let him kiss her deeply. She returned his kiss reluctantly, hoping it was enough for him. She would never admit it, especially not to Elliot, but it was enough for her. She didn't have romantic feelings for Elliot, but she loved him in a way that was more than anything she could ever explain to anyone and despite their situation, despite the sick men watching them, despite every horror and danger they were facing she still felt the heat rising in her body, responding to Elliot's touch.

All Elliot could think of as he was stroking Olivia's cheek was that this was wrong - he shouldn't be doing this with Olivia, especially not like this. But as he kissed her it suddenly came startling clear; this was perfect. Sure, the whole situation sucked, but if Elliot had to go through this initiation Olivia was the perfect 'victim'. If it were any other woman Elliot would be struggling against the law. As a detective, he would lose his job for raping somebody. Maybe he could avoid jail if he could convince the woman that he was being forced against his will as much as she was, but IAB would be all over him. With Olivia, even if it wasn't consensual sex at least she had given her consent, and she would defend him tooth and nail against IAB if it came to that. And with any other woman, he would have to face the possibility of not actually being able to 'put on the show' as the other men liked to refer to it.

"Come on, cut the Prince Charming act!" Randy shouted.

"Shut up! It's his style, his choice, when it's your turn you can be as nasty as you want," Jeremy said quietly.

Olivia pulled away from the kiss and turned her head to the side, away from the men watching them, closing her eyes. She didn't want to watch as Elliot stripped his belt from around his waist. He slipped it around Olivia's neck, despite her struggles. "Just to remind you," he said, undoing his jeans and pulling his shirt over his head.

"At least take off the bra!" Randy said, buzzing with excitement.

Elliot laughed, "Oh no, guys, those are mine." Olivia felt a wave of gratitude towards Elliot. She was already exposing enough of herself, she didn't need Elliot seeing _everything_.

Elliot slipped out of his jeans and straddled Olivia, one hand still holding her hands firmly. As he put the other hand on her waist they heard a loud gunshot and they both froze, then several more rang out, coming from every direction and they both rolled onto the floor next to the mattress. Elliot felt a cool dark liquid seeping under his fingers and he looked down to see the fresh bullet hole and he felt light-headed and panicked.

**Oh, the excitement, the anticipation!! Bet you want more, eh? Well click the little purple button and let me know. Cause I could just leave it here...**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"No, Olivia!" Elliot was almost glad the gunfire was masking his voice. He pressed his hands firmly on Olivia's wound.

"I do not fucking want to get into the ambulance looking like this," she said, and Elliot let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.

Elliot didn't dare raise his head to see where the shooting was coming from of who might bed dead. He had heard footsteps on the stairs and now there was gunfire upstairs, so he raised his head just enough to look over the edge of the mattress. He saw Adrian had been shot and was most likely dead, but he couldn't see anyone else. When he heard footsteps on the stairs he ducked again. He looked at Olivia and she gave him a nod to let him know she was alright – for now – and then he looked down at the wound in her side. He prayed that she would make it out alive. "Elliot! Olivia!"

"Shit," they both said in hushed unison. Elliot sat up. "You're not gonna like what you see," he warned their captain.

"What the hell happened?!" But he shook his head and spoke into his radio, "10-13, we need paramedics down here now."

"I guess it's too much for me to hope for some clothes before they take me upstairs," Olivia said, wincing slightly in pain.

"My hands are kinda full, here," Elliot said. Cragen grabbed a few of the t-shirts lying next to the mattress and draped them over Olivia. He felt a little awkward seeing his best detective like that. Then he kneeled down and started untying the rope that was still attached around her ankle. Everyone was relieved it had been long enough for her to get off the mattress.

"Over here," Elliot called to the paramedic that had just come down the stairs. They raced over and took over from Elliot, pressed thick gauze over the wound. Olivia winced but didn't complain. They helped her onto the board that would carry her upstairs and covered her with a blanket before strapping her in, allowing the strap to hold the gauze in place.

"Hang on, I'll ride with her," Elliot said, quickly pulling on his jeans and a t-shirt, not caring that he had smeared both with blood from his hands. He raced upstairs after Olivia, ignoring the bodies in the kitchen and living room, and climbed into the ambulance with Olivia.

The paramedics worked quickly to take the straps off of Olivia and folded the blanket down to expose her wound. The gauze was soaked through with blood so they replaced it, putting pressure on the wound. Olivia's eyes started to drift closed. "Olivia, stay awake, we'll be at the hospital soon," Elliot urged her. She tried to open her eyes but she was too exhausted and drifted into unconsciousness.

At the hospital Elliot was forced to stay in the waiting room. The rest of the squad, including Casey, arrived shortly after Elliot. "How's she doing?" Casey asked.

"She passed out in the ambulance, lost a lot of blood," he said.

"I called Kathy, she's on her way in," Cragen said, sitting down on a chair across from Elliot. Casey sat down next to Elliot and the other detectives took the remaining seats around Elliot and the captain.

"Thanks, cap." He hadn't really been thinking about Kathy much lately, and he had forgotten about her completely when he saw that Olivia was hurt. He was quite for a while, then asked, "How did you guys find us?"

"We're detectives, it's what we do," Munch said.

"One of your boys was a rat, didn't wanna take the heat for killing a cop. Apparently narcotics was on his trail and he knew he was goin' down, so he called us, told us about Liv in exchange for our protection if anyone got away during the raid," Fin explained.

"Who was it?" Elliot asked.

"Randy," Cragen said.

"_He_ saved out lives?" Elliot scoffed. Randy only did it to save his own ass, but he was still grateful he'd done it.

"So are you gonna tell me what the hell was going on down there before we showed up?" Cragen asked.

"Later," Elliot promised.

"This sounds interesting. What exactly is the captain so curious about, I wonder," Munch said, looking at Elliot overtop of his sunglasses.

"Shut up, John," Elliot said. He really didn't want anyone to know what had almost happened in the basement, not even Cragen. They would have to tell him, of course, but he hoped that would be the end of it. He didn't want to lose his partner.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Olivia, welcome back. You two, in my office," Cragen said, looking at Elliot and Olivia.

"Captain, I just came to say hi, I'm not staying." But Cragen had already disappeared into his office.

Olivia sighed and she and Elliot followed Cragen into his office. Olivia's side was still painful where she had been shot. The cuts on her arms and cheek were healing nicely, probably wouldn't even leave scars, but the bruise on her jaw was large and still extremely dark; it would probably take quite a while to go away.

"I need a full account of what happened. Start with the kidnapping and go from there," He said, leaning against his desk and crossing his arms.

"Some guy stopped me, asked for directions. I told him where to go, turned my back and he knocked me out. I'm pretty sure it was Jeremy, Elliot told me about everyone. I woke up in the basement and I heard them tell Elliot that he'd be stuck in the clubhouse for two weeks." She really didn't want to tell him what had almost happened at the end of those two weeks.

"They gave me the knife, not quite a week later. Told me to cut her," Elliot said, knowing Cragen would want an explanation for the cuts.

"So you did?" Cragen asked.

"I did, but Elliot took the credit," Olivia explained.

"And the bruise, that came from Elliot?"

"He had no choice, captain, we had to make it look real," Olivia said, not wanting Elliot to get in trouble; he felt guilty enough and she knew it.

"I understand, Olivia, I just need to know what happened," Cragen said calmly. "So they didn't see Olivia at all during those two weeks?"

"No, they said she was mine," Elliot said with disgust.

"Why were they downstairs when we raided the place?"

Elliot felt like his tongue had stopped working. Olivia noticed the look on his face and replied for him, "They were watching us. It's the final part of their initiation. They want to make sure their new member isn't shy."

"So you were…" Cragen closed his eyes and shook his head. "Forget it, I don't need to know. You were both doing what you needed to do to survive."

"Nothing happened, you came in just in time," Elliot said, finding his voice again.

"Just go, I'll deal with whatever crap IAB decides to come up with. Get some rest, Olivia." Elliot and Olivia both left the office.

"You're coming back, right?" Elliot asked.

"Of course. I'm surprised you'd even ask," she said.

"And we're still…" he felt so awkward around her. They hadn't actually done anything, but he still felt horrible about it all.

"We're cool, Elliot." She smiled and put a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I'll give you a ride home," he offered. She didn't argue.

"Would you have gone through with it, if the others hadn't shown up?" Olivia asked.

"I honestly don't know. But I think I would have. That's the part I hate to think about."

"You know we didn't do it, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I don't want you feeling guilty about something you didn't even do. Especially when you were only doing it to save me."

"I'll never feel right about what happened there. I gave in, I just did what they expected. I should have…" He pounded his fists against the steering wheel.

"Using your fists would have been stupid, and it would have gotten us both killed. You did what you had to do, the only thing you could. I know you feel like you let me down or something, but you're not my knight in shining armour, El. I don't expect you to save the day all the time, I expect to be able to trust you to do what needs to be done. Your job is to help me, have my back, so I can save myself. I need to know you're not going to do something stupid to try to make up for what happened down there. Because El…just because something bad happened doesn't mean I can't kick ass anymore." She smiled.

Elliot sighed and managed a weak smile. "I know. I've always got your back; you can count on me."

"As a friend or a partner?"

"Both."


End file.
